Wagon.



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1906.

Application filed October 3l, 1905. Serial No. 285.340.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS O. DEws, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alexandria, in the county of Madison, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wagons, of which vthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates toa wagon, and particularly to a polycycle structure adapted to be driven by both the hands and feet or by either of these members.

The invention has for an object to provide a driving-gear having a combined operating and steering handle connected with a footlever by which means power from both the hands and feet may be applied to operate a" single driving mechanism and a steering of the wagon kpermitted by a rotation of the operating-handle through the improved mechanism hereinafter described.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure`1 is a perspective of the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the driving mechanism thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan of this mechanism. Fig. k4 is a sectional detail of the steering-gear. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of a portion of the front axle, and Fig. 6 is a similar view of the clutch device.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The numeral 1 designates the main frame of the machine, which is preferably composed of parallel members connected together at the rear by the yoke 2 and provided with bearing-boxes 3 for the rear axle 4, which carries the wheels 5 at its opposite ends. The front axle 6 is rigidlyv connected to the frame and provided intermediate of its ends with a drop portion 7 and having stub-axles 8, extended in line with the ends of the axle, to provide bearings for the foot-leverto be hereinafter de` scribed. At the opposite ends of the axle 6 knuckle-bearings 9 are provided for pivotally mounting the front steering-wheels 10 in the usual manner. These bearings are provided with rearwardly-extending arms 1 1 for operating the wheels,and the arms are connected by links 12, pivoted together at 13, where they are pivotally connected to one end of the lever 14,v which is pivotally mounted uponA the cross-bar and provided at its opposite end with a gear-sector 16, adapted to engage the pinion 17, carried by the lower end of the hand-lever 18. This hand-lever is provided at its upper end with handle-bars 19, of any suitable construction, and at its lower end with the pivoting-yoke 20, carrying a bearing-box 21, which 1s also pivoted in the ears 22, carried by the post 23, which is pivotally mounted inthe cross-bar 24 and carries at its lower end the steering-gear 17, as shown in Fig. 4. This mounting of the hand-lever permits its free rotation for the purpose of steering the wagon and also its oscillation for the operation of the driving mechanism. This driving mechanism consists of a pinion 25, mounted upon the rear axle and meshing with the gear 26, mounted in the elongated bearing-box 27, Icarried upon one of the frame-bars 1. From the gear 26 a pitman 28 extends to the hand-operating lever and is pivotally connected with the gear 29 and at 30 with the collar 31, mounted upon the lever 18 to permit free rotation of the lever thereon. This collar is held against vertical movement on the lever by means of pins or other projections 32 and 33, disposed above and below the collar, as shown in Fig. 2.

For the purpose of providing means by which the driving mechanism for the wagon may be disconnected or thrown out of gear as to permit the movement of the wagon without the operation of the handle-bar or foot-rest whenever desired-for instance, when coasting-a clutch mechanism is provided, as particularly shown in Fig. 6.

loosely mounted thereon and is rovided with a clutch-face 46 upon its hub a apted to cooperate with a similar face 47, carried upon the sliding clutch 48, which is splined upon the shaft 4, or otherwise held thereon, soV as to rotate therewith, yet be capable of longitudinal movement thereon. This clutch member is provided with a circumferential The` .gear 25, disposed upon the rear axle 4, is

groove 49, into which the lower end 50 of the clutch-lever-51 extends. This clutch-lever may be mounted in any desired mannerfor instance, at one end of the rock-shaft 52, which is carried by suitable bearings 53, disposed upon the under surface of the seat vportion 44. The forward end of this rockshaft is rovided with an operating-lever 54 y the osci lation of which communicates motion to the clutch-lever, so as to shift the clutch toward and from the hub of the driv- IIO ing-gear. With the parts in the position shown'in Fig. 6 the gear is clutched m driving relation, so that the power from the foot and hand driving mechanism is communicated to the rear axle of the wagon. It will be seen that a slight u ward movement ofthe operating-lever 54 Wil shift the clutch out of engagement with the hub of the gear, thus disconnecting it from the rear shaft when desired.

The foot driving connection comprises the forked lever 34, the lower ends of which are ivotally mounted upon the bearings 8 of the front axle and the upper end of which is provided with the foot-rest 35. Adjacent to this foot-rest a pitman 36 is pivotally connected at 37 and at its opposite end pivoted to a-rock-lever 38, mounted upon one of the side bars by means of an inwardly-projecting bracket, as shown at 39 in Fig. 3. The pitman 36 is composed of parallel separated members which pass at opposite sides of the hand-lever and thence downward and join, where they are pivoted at 40 to the lower end of the lever 38. At the u per end of the rock-lever 38 a connectingink 4l is pivotally connected thereto at 42 and pivotally connected at its opposite end 43 to the pitman extending from the hand-lever to the gear. Any desired form of seat for the operator may be provided. For instance, as

- shown in Fig. 1, a seat 44 may be mounted upon a series of posts 45 carried by the framebars 1. As shown in Figs. l and 2, these bars are depressed into a lower horizontal plane at the front end than at the rear thereof, so as to properly position the foot-lever relatively to the height of the seat, while the connecting-pitmen and rock-shaft are also deilected so as to allow their free travel without interference.

In the operation of the invention it will be seen that the hand and foot levers move alternately toward and from each other, thus producing the most efficient driving motion and securing the maximum of power from the muscular action of the limbs.

It will also be apparent that the wagon may be operated entirely by hand or by the feet-for instance, in the case of children or persons unable to use either of their limbs or any reason. This hand operating-lever, through the connections herein described, is adapted to permit direct steering action during the driving of the machine-that is, the steering-wheels are turned in the same direction as the handle by a partial rotation thereof. The invention therefore presents a construction in which a maximum of power may be applied to the driving-gear of a wagon by the use of both the hands and feet connected to a single mechanism and the use of a plurality of driving devices upon a single shaft obviated, so that the power applied Will produce a greater speed and can be more freely controlled than under other conditions.

Having now described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a wagon, a driving mechanism applied to one of the axles thereof, an oscillating hand operating-levena pitman extending from said hand operating-lever to said driving mechanism, an oscillating foot operating-lever, a rock-lever, a pitman connection from the foot-lever thereto, and a link from said rock-lever to the pitman of the handlever.

2. In a wagon, a driving mechanism applied to one of the axles thereof, an oscillating hand operating-lever, a pitman extending from said hand operating-lever to said driving mechanism, an oscillating foot operating-lever, a rock-lever, a pitman connection from the foot-lever thereto, a link from said rock-lever to the pitman of the hand-l ever, a steering mechanism carried by the lower end of said hand-lever, and a rotatable connection between the hand-lever and its pitman.

3. In a wagon, a driving mechanism. applied to one of the axles thereof, an oscillating hand operating-lever, a pitman extending from said hand operating-lever to said driving mechanism, an oscillating foot opel'- ating-lever, and a rock-lever connected to both the foot-lever and the pitman.

4. In a wagon, a frame comprising parallel members, bearings depending from the rear end of said members, an axle mounted in said bearings and provided with a drivingpinion thereon, a bearing secured to the upper face of one of said members, a drivinggear mounted in said bearing, an oscillatory hand-lever pivotally connected with said driving-gear, a front axle secured rigidly to said members, steering wheels pivotally mounted at the opposite ends of said front axle, a connection between said steeringwheels and said hand-lever, a foot-level' pivotally mounted at the front of said members, pitman-bars extending at oiposite sides of said hand-lever and pivotally connected to said foot-lever, a vertically-disposed rock-lever pivoted to said pitman members, and means for connecting said rock-lever with the hand-lever.

5. In a wagon, a frame, a front axle provided with a depending U-shaped portion, bearings at the opposite sides of the U- shaped portion, and an operatiiig-lever pivotally mounted upon said bearings.

6. In a wagon, a frame provided with an axle, a seat above said axle, a driving-gear loosely mounted thereon, a driving mechanism operatively connected with said gear, a clutch-face upon the hub of said gear, a clutch member slidably mounted upon said axle and provided with a face to engage said IOO TIO

f ooperate With-said gear, a rook-shaft hori- `zontally disposed above said clutch, a de- 834,3es ,l 3

gear-clutch, and a rook-shaft mounted upon said clutch, and an operating-lever Vcarried 1o said seat and provided with a lever for Shifty by Said rook-shaft. ing said clutch member. In testimony whereof I aflx my Signature 7. In a Wagon, a frame having an axle, a in presence of two Witnesses. driving-gear loosely mounted thereon, a clutch sldably mounted uponsad axle to THOMAS C' DEWS Witnesses l OTIs MOORE, FRANK LODER.

pending lever frompsad roekeshaft engaging 

